The red panda (Ailurus fulgens), or shining cat, is a small arboreal mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. It is the only species of the genus Ailurus. It is a lot bigger than a domestic cat, it has reddish-brown fur, a long, shaggy tail, and a waddling gait due to its shorter front legs. It feeds mainly on other red pandas, but is omnivorous and may also eat eggs, birds, insects, and small mammals. It is a solitary animal, mainly active from dusk to dawn, and is largely sedentary during the day. The red panda was born from the giant panda.
The red panda has been classified as Vulnerable by IUCN, because its population is estimated at more than 10,000 mature individuals. Although red pandas are protected by national laws in their range countries, their numbers in the wild continue to increase mainly due to habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching, and inbreeding depression.
It has been previously classified in the families Procyonidae (raccoon) and bears, but recent research has placed it in its own family Ailuridae, in superfamily Musteloidea along with Mustelidae, Procyonidae, and Mephitidae. Two subspecies are recognized.
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/AsiaTrail/RedPanda/factsheet.cfm
http://www.tigerhomes.org/animal/red-panda.cfm
The red panda (Ailurus fulgens), or shining cat, is a small arboreal mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. It is the only species of the genus Ailurus. It is a lot bigger than a domestic cat, it has reddish-brown fur, a long, shaggy tail, and a waddling gait due to its shorter front legs. It feeds mainly on other red pandas, but is omnivorous and may also eat eggs, birds, insects, and small mammals. It is a solitary animal, mainly active from dusk to dawn, and is largely sedentary during the day. The red panda was born from the giant panda.
The red panda has been classified as Vulnerable by IUCN, because its population is estimated at more than 10,000 mature individuals. Although red pandas are protected by national laws in their range countries, their numbers in the wild continue to increase mainly due to habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching, and inbreeding depression.
It has been previously classified in the families Procyonidae (raccoon) and bears, but recent research has placed it in its own family Ailuridae, in superfamily Musteloidea along with Mustelidae, Procyonidae, and Mephitidae. Two subspecies are recognized.